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We were in Rio last March and we saw everything being worn on the beaches. We were mainly in Copacabana and there's lots of families there and we saw less thongs . . . but, every man (of every size, shape, age) did have on a speedo, we about laughed ourselves silly.

Brazilians have a VERY healthy body image and are not afraid or ashamed of not having perfect bodies.

Yes, you will see thongs on the women and lots of men do like to wear speedo-type suits. Not the slender thingies that you see professional swimmers wear, but a much wider cut suit, similar to low cut "tighty-whitey" men's underwear.

But, you will see people wearing all kinds of swimwear as well, and should not be afraid to wear whatever you are comfortable with.

You will definately see a lot of skin on Rio's beaches. Young, old, slim, not-so-slim, just about everybody wears a revealing swimsuit. Travelers needn't wear thongs nor speedos, but remember, a lot of people on the beaches are travelers, not Brazilianos

Our rule for friends coming to Brazil is: don't bring clothes with too much fabric! Especially when it comes to bathing suits! Yes, men other than boy surfers do wear exclusively speedos and women wear almost exclusively bikinis but not necessarily thongs but the bottoms have a much higher (skimpier) cut than American suits. You can buy great suits here so wait until you get here...the cuts and fabrics and prices are terrific. As other posters stated, people here are not body conscious past a certain age...the younger people look terrific, but people of all ages just wear skimpy suits and don't worry about it.